Aref: There Have Been Efforts to Lift the House Arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi, and I Am Optimistic

The head of the Hope faction in the parliament, Mohammad Reza Aref, stated that there have been efforts regarding the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, as well as the media ban and restrictions on Mohammad Khatami, and he is "optimistic" that "good things will happen." In a press conference on Tuesday, February 5, Aref discussed the follow-up on the house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement, saying: "We believed that both the government and those involved should pursue this matter in a calm atmosphere and resolve it considering national interests." Regarding the restrictions on Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, he stated: "We have repeatedly complained about this issue since the media ban has not been raised in any court, but we should not allow this to become entangled in political issues and overly publicized." According to ILNA news agency, Aref mentioned that lifting the house arrest of the leaders protesting the 2009 presidential election results is "part of the demands and slogans" of society. He emphasized that resolving these issues is "in the interest of society" and expressed hope that the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi would be lifted considering "national interests and maintaining calm." Aref noted: "Efforts have been made regarding the house arrest and Mr. Khatami, and I am optimistic that good things will happen." He did not elaborate on the details of these efforts. Hussein Karroubi, the son of Mehdi Karroubi, had previously thanked Mohammad Reza Aref for consistently raising the issue of lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders. Following the death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, calls for lifting the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi and removing the media ban and other restrictions on Khatami have emerged. During the funeral of the former head of the Expediency Discernment Council held on January 22, supporters of the Green Movement chanted slogans in support of Mousavi, Karroubi, and Khatami, to the extent that Iranian state television cut the sound of the crowd in its news footage. Reports indicate that Khatami was banned from attending this ceremony. Meanwhile, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, stated that these slogans indicate that "the system's officials should resolve the issue of the house arrest of the leaders protesting the 2009 presidential election sooner." Khatami also expressed hope on January 28 that the "relative reconciliation" that emerged after Rafsanjani's death would continue, and that the Supreme Leader would allow everyone to "enter a new phase of life to serve the people and elevate the country." On January 24, 43 former political prisoners wrote a letter asking the "pillars of the Islamic Republic" and all political factions to turn the atmosphere created after Rafsanjani's death into "an opportunity for dialogue and national reconciliation and for greater rationality in management and confronting inefficiency, corruption, and immorality." Abdullah Ramazanzadeh, Mohsen Mir-Damadi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Bahareh Hedayat, Hassan Asadi Zeyd Abadi, Abdullah Momeni, Masoud Bastani, and Reyhaneh Tabatabai were among the signatories of this letter. Hussein Mir-Damadi, the uncle of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also criticized his nephew's performance and policies in a letter, urging him to "change your approach before it is too late and your era ends, and the fabric of affairs completely unravels and the country and nation are lost." Mohammad Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, the leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, have been under house arrest without trial since February 2010. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in his last press conference, expressed regret over the non-implementation of "certain rights" in the country when asked about the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders and Khatami's ban from attending Rafsanjani's funeral. He added: "Resolving some issues takes time, and our capacity is limited, requiring the help of others; we need a consensus within the system." The children of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, as well as the children of Mehdi Karroubi, have previously criticized Rouhani's government for its "indifference" to lifting the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders. Hussein Karroubi deemed the lifting of the house arrest of the Green Movement leaders before the 2017 presidential election as "unlikely," stating that the ruling system would not grant this "privilege" to Hassan Rouhani. Khatami has also been banned from appearing in Iranian media since winter 2014, and reports indicate that he has been prevented from attending certain events. Mohammad Anjam, Khatami's lawyer, reported on Wednesday, January 29, that his client has sued Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the cultural deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, for alleging that he received "money" from Saudi Arabia. Additionally, a judicial official stated that individuals can be placed under house arrest without trial based on the leader's discretion.